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Check out all the matches today involving NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball teams and how to follow them live.
No. 1/2 Long Beach State (21-3, 14-2 MPSF) vs. No. 3/3 BYU (21-2, 14-1 MPSF)
Match vitals: 8 p.m. in Provo, Utah
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, Radio feed, In-match tweets, TV (BYUtv)
What to know: The series opener was an instant classic, and now No. 3/3 BYU and No. 2/1 Long Beach State will conclude their two-match series with a possible MPSF regular season championship at stake. BYU after winning in a fifth-game overtime on Friday to overtake Long Beach State for first place in the MPSF can secure its fourth conference regular season title in the last five seasons with another victory. This series finale could also feature a return to the court for BYU All-American opposite Ben Patch. Patch, who did not play in the last 12 matches because of an injury, was inserted into the match against Long Beach State with BYU at match-point in the fifth game. The 2016 Bryan Ivie Award recipient participated in a few plays before being subbed out and even had an attack attempt during a rally that Long Beach State won to force a fifth-game overtime. Opposite Tim Dobbert playing in place of Patch had a career-high 16 digs along with 12 kills and five blocks versus Long Beach State. All-American outside attacker Jake Langlois led BYU with season-high 20 kills in the series opener, including the match-winning kill in overtime. Langlois has double-digit kills in every match during the Cougars’ nation-best 15-match winning streak. He also has at least a .300 attack percentage in seven consecutive matches. Along with an in-match change among the pin hitters, BYU coach Shawn Olmstead replaced starting setter Leo Durkin with freshman Will Stanley midway through the match. Stanley finished with 36 assists and helped BYU hit .255, including a team-best .333 in the fourth game. Despite the loss, All-American outside attacker TJ DeFalco had a match-high 25 kills on a .340 attack percentage and led the 49ers with 14 digs. DeFalco was one of four 49ers with double-digit digs against the Cougars. Among those players included all-conference libero Andrew Sato, who entered the weekend leading the MPSF with a 2.57 digs per game average. The loss ended the 49ers’ 14-match winning streak. In addition, the team committed a season-high 28 service errors — eight more than the Cougars. At a half-match behind first-place BYU in the MPSF standings, Long Beach State still controls its own fate to win the MPSF regular season championship. If the 49ers beat the Cougars in four or fewer games, they will be assured the head-to-head tiebreaker and then just need to win their regular season finale to clinch the program’s first MPSF title in almost a decade.
No. 2/1 Ohio State (22-1, 11-0 MIVA) vs. No. 11 Ball State (15-7, 6-5 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Columbus, Ohio
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
What to know: No. 2/1 Ohio State will try to extend its first-place lead as it plays host to the MIVA team it last lost to in a conference ply. No. 11 Ball State and Ohio State will renew the college volleyball’s oldest Midwest rivalry in the first meeting between the two teams at St. John Arena since the Cardinals upset the Buckeyes last season. Ohio State remains the nation’s only undefeated team in conference play, including a road sweep against Ball State in February. In addition, the Buckeyes are two wins away from winning back-to-back MIVA regular season championship and clinching home court advantage throughout the entire postseason. Ohio State began the week as the only team in the nation with multiple players in the nation’s top 10 for kills. All-American opposite Miles Johnson has a MIVA-best 3.92 kills per game average, including a match-high 19 kills on a .621 attack percentage in the previous match versus Ball State. All-American outside attacker Nicolas Szerszen is second in the conference averaging 3.83 kills per game. The 2016 AVCA National Player of the Year also has a conference-high 51 aces with five of those aces coming against the Cardinals. Ball State enters this match after being upset in four games against McKendree on Thursday. The loss dropped the Cardinals into fifth place in the MIVA standings and one-match back of No. 10 Loyola for fourth place. The top four teams in the MIVA earn home court advantage for the conference tournament quarterfinals. Freshman outside attacker Matt Szews is third in the MIVA with a 3.61 kills per game average and has double-digit kills in all but three matches this season. The Cardinals also entered the week in the nation’s top five with both a 2.55 blocks per game average and a .203 opponent attack percentage. In addition, Ball State All-MIVA middle attacker Matt Walsh is among the national leaders averaging 1.22 blocks per game. He also has more than a .500 attack percentage in each his last two matches and had nine kills on a .500 attack percentage in the loss to Ohio State earlier this season.
Emmanuel (5-16, 3-11 ConfCarolinas) vs. Lees-McRae (8-13, 6-7 ConfCarolinas)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in Banner Elk, North Carolina
Follow live: Live stats
King (23-2, 12-1 ConfCarolinas) vs. Erskine (3-16, 3-11 ConfCarolinas)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in Bristol, Tennessee
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
Mount Olive (15-6, 13-1 ConfCarolinas) vs. Limestone (8-8, 8-4 ConfCarolinas)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in Gaffney, South Carolina
Follow live: Live stats
Quincy (5-16, 1-10 MIVA) vs. Lindenwood (3-15, 2-9 MIVA)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in St. Charles, Missouri
Follow live: Live stats
George Mason (9-11, 2-5 EIVA) vs. Charleston (11-12, 0-9 EIVA)
Match vitals: 4 p.m. in Fairfax, Virginia
Follow live: Live stats, In-match tweets
Barton (14-5, 12-2 ConfCarolinas) vs. Pfeiffer (0-13, 0-12 ConfCarolinas)
Match vitals: 4 p.m. in Misenheimer, North Carolina
Follow live: Live stats
No. 7/7 Lewis (18-6, 10-3 MIVA) vs. St. Francis (9-13, 4-4 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Romeoville, Illinois
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
No. 10 Loyola (13-8, 7-4 MIVA) vs. No. 13 Penn State (13-8, 6-2 EIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Chicago
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets, TV (CSN Chicago)
Fort Wayne (5-18, 2-9 MIVA) vs. McKendree (8-16, 3-8 MIVA)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Lebanon, Illinois
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
No. 5/5 UC Irvine (15-6, 9-5 MPSF) vs. No. 8/8 Pepperdine (8-9, 6-8 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Malibu, California
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, In-match tweets
No. 4/4 Hawai’i (21-4, 11-4 MPSF) vs. No. 14 CSUN (12-13, 5-11 MPSF)
Match vitals: 7 p.m. in Honolulu
Follow live: Live stats, Online video, Radio feed, In-match tweets
OFF THE BLOCK DIVISION III NATIONAL MATCH OF THE DAY
No. 2 SUNY New Paltz (20-4) vs. No. 10 Hunter (21-4)
Match vitals: 2 p.m. in New Paltz, New York
Follow live: Live stats, Online video
No. 3 Stevens Tech (22-2) vs. No. 7 Carthage (17-1)
Match vitals: 3 p.m. in Kenosha, Wisconsin
Follow live: Live stats, Online video